Elderly Couple Busted With $300K of Marijuana...Claims It Was For Christmas Presents

If you were expecting a Christmas gift from 80-year-old Patrick Jiron and his 70-year-old wife, Barbara, it may be wise to assume that it’s not coming. The couple has had a wrench thrown into their holiday plans, and it sounds like this mess is going to take some time to sort out.

As The Blaze shares, the elderly couple has been popped after being found to be in possession of a staggering amount of marijuana.

So how much are we talking about? Roughly 60 lbs. of what’s said to be rather high-quality weed, and it carries an estimated street value of $336,000.

So why on earth would the couple possibly have so much weed on them? It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out they were either dealing or transporting it for someone that deals, but they actually had a rather simple explanation for police: they claimed it was for Christmas gifts.

The couple was driving along Interstate 80 in Nebraska when their Toyota Tacoma drifted over the centerline. York County Sheriff’s deputies pulled the couple over, and they were immediately hit with the pungent aroma of marijuana.

Dundee, the county’s drug dog, was quickly on the case, but the couple came clean to let the officers know something: they had pot in the back of their truck under a topper.

It wasn’t just a small stash they put back there for safe keeping either, but rather bags and bags of green stuff. We can only imagine that the responding officers' eyes nearly popped out of their heads once they set their sights on the mountain of weed that the couple was transporting.

Upon further questioning, the couple explained that they were travelling from Vermont to California, where they intended to give pot as Christmas presents. No word on whether they have friends or family in the area, or if they just intended to surprise any random cannabis enthusiasts they may have come in contact with during their trip to the Golden State.

Lt. Paul Vrbka explained to the elderly couple that this was a no-no, but they said they “didn’t know it was illegal to transport marijuana in Nebraska.” It’s unclear if the couple looked into the laws of all the states they would be passing through on their journey, but it certainly doesn’t sound like they properly thought things through before embarking on their cross-country pot running expedition.

Patrick was booked and charged with possession of marijuana with the intent to distribute, as well as having no drug tax stamp. He was released after posting 10 percent of his $100,000 bond.

Both charges are felonies, but it’s unclear when he’ll have to appear in court to offer up an explanation on things. As for Barbara, she was cited but not jailed “due to some medical issues,” according to Vrbka.

If there was anyone in California that was expecting a special delivery just in time for the holidays - courtesy of a pair of elderly pot traffickers - they are now out of luck. For a small sense of solace, the York News-Times has shared some snaps of the couple’s massive stash, so at least they can get a look at what they’re missing out on.

Source: The BlazePhoto: York County Sheriff's Department, Twitter, YouTube